ed then for about an hour. Clive pressed upon
him the great necessity of proceeding at once to {111}Murshidabad to
look after Siraj-ud-daula, and to prevent the plunder of the
treasury. The new Subahdar assented, and, returning to his army, set
out and arrived at the capital the same evening. Clive, having sent
friendly letters to the other chief conspirators, made a short march
of six miles to the village of Bapta, and encamped there for the
evening. At noon the day following he proceeded to Madhupur, whence
he despatched Messrs. Watts and Walsh, with an escort of 100 sipahis,
to arrange for the payments noted in a preceding page. These soon
found that the treasury was not at the moment equal to the demand.
They arranged accordingly that one moiety should be paid down: of
this moiety two-thirds in hard coin, one-third in jewels and plate;
that the second moiety should be discharged by three equal payments,
extending over three years.

[Footnote 7: Orme, vol. ii. p. 178.]

Whilst these negotiations were progressing, Clive, having ascertained
that the other chief conspirators had accepted the terms offered to
them, entered the city of Murshidabad (July 29), attended by 200
Europeans and 300 sipahis, and took up his quarters in the palace of
Muradbagh, his followers encamping in the garden attached to it. Here
he was waited upon by Miran, the eldest son of Mir Jafar, and with
him he proceeded to the Subahdar's palace, where Mir Jafar and his
principal officers were waiting to receive him. Clive, after saluting
Mir Jafar, led him to the _masnad_, and, despite some affected
unwillingness on the part of the Mir, seated him upon it, hailed him
with the usual {112}forms as Subahdar, offering at the same time a
nazar of 100 _ashrafis_.[8] He then, through an interpreter,
addressed the assembled nobles, congratulated them on the change of
masters, and urged them to be faithful to Mir Jafar. The usual
ceremonies followed, and the new ruler was publicly proclaimed
throughout the city.

[Footnote 8: The value of an _ashrafia_, at a later period called by
the English 'Gold Muhr,' was about 1_l_. 11_s_. 8_d_. A 'nazar' is a
gift offered and received when people of rank pay their respects to a
prince. It is more properly called 'Nazrana.']

It is impossible to quit this subject without recording, as briefly
as possible, the fate of the relative Mir Jafar had betrayed and
supplanted. Siraj-ud-daula, fleeing, as we have seen, from